Kitchener woman swims across Lake Erie for good cause
A Kitchener woman has swam across Lake Erie in treacherous conditions to raise money for an organization supporting youth mental health.
Coralee Allaert, 22, swam 19.2 kilometers over eight hours on Thursday from Sturgeon Point, New York, to Crystal Beach, Ontario.
"The swim was very challenging," she said. "Mentally, physically, and emotionally."
The swim also had to be rescheduled several times due to inclement weather, but fourth time was the charm.
"I'm happy to say I conquered Lake Erie successfully in eight hours and 50 minutes," said Allaert. "It's pretty surreal, but I did it."
At certain points, weather changed and forced her to battle six foot waves and 30 km/h winds.
"I've seen veterans in our sport that wouldn't have been able to manage to what she did," said swim pilot and coach Christine Arseneault, who was part of the team that followed along and tracked her strokes. "She didn't waiver. I thought, 'this young lady is chipping away at this, she's doing this, so there's no reason, unless something comes up, there's no reason we have to end this.'
"When they see that and they look at what she's doing, it's inspiring. It's needed."
Allaert was able to raise over $8,000 for youth mental health charity jack.org.
"I have my own struggles and I know youth out there have their own struggles too," she said. "Being their voice for those youth that are no longer with us today kept me going forward."
Allaert hopes to swim across Lake Ontario in August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.